Monday Musings: Giants get it right

Throw to score, run to win. Giants play it to perfection against the 49ers.

--- What do I believe is the key to winning in the NFL? Throw to score, run to win. That means throw early, get a lead, dictate tempo and then pound it when you have the lead. The
New York Giants
Giants" data-canon="New York Jets" data-type="SPORTS_OBJECT_TEAM" id="shortcode0"> lived that against the 49ers. The Giants couldn't get the run game going early, so
Eli Manning
did his thing. The Giants jumped to a 10-3 halftime lead as Manning threw for 176 yards and the Giants ran for 23 yards. In the second half, the Giants ran for 126 yards against a 49ers defense that was getting gashed at times and won 26-3. It's not the number of passes that backs a team off. It's how you attack them. If the Giants had just lined up and played power football against that 49ers defense, they go home losers. But they passed to set the tone, then came back and pounded it to win it. It's simple, really.

--- The Texans disguised some issues on their way to 5-0. One of them is that, aside from
J.J. Watt
and
Antonio Smith
, the front seven isn't playing as well as expected. Conner Barwin, who is in a contract year, still doesn't have a sack. Against the Packers on Sunday night, that lack of pressure showed up in a big way as
Aaron Rodgers
torched them for six touchdown passes. Corner
Johnathan Joseph
, who is coming off a Pro Bowl season, is struggling. The word is he's banged up, even if he isn't using that as an excuse. He clearly isn't playing at the same level as he did a year ago.

--- Let me start this out by saying I think
Ray Lewis
is the best middle linebacker ever. But let me also say this, something nobody else will say: The
Baltimore Ravens
might be better off without Lewis. Yes, I said it. Lewis has been horrible for most of this season. He gets engulfed by linemen and doesn't get off blocks. You never like to see a veteran like him go down, especially this late in his career, but a younger, faster player might be what the Ravens need now inside.
Dannell Ellerbe
and
Albert McClellan
will likely be the starters now. They haven't exactly been playing great, either. The bigger hit to the Ravens' defense is the loss of
Lardarius Webb
. He is their best cover player. Without him, they lack a premier cover player. That will show up without a pass rush -- probably starting this week in
Houston Texans
.

--- The Packers' receivers beat man coverage against the Texans. That's something they have to continue to do because teams will show that until
Greg Jennings
is back healthy. "We heard it all week," Packers receiver
James Jones
said. "We knew what they were going to do us." The Packers made the Texans pay. But expect more from
Los Angeles Rams
this week with
Cortland Finnegan
and
Janoris Jenkins
.

--- Most laughable notion of the week: Somebody asking
Shonn Greene
if he was thinking about a new contract after his 161-yard day against the
Indianapolis Colts
. What? The guy misses more holes than a donut shop. He has no feel for the position. Greene had a good day. But a long-term deal is a joke right now.

--- One of my favorite all-time shows was The Wire. In it, the character Omar used to say, "Omar don't scare." Neither do defensive backs when lined up against the 49ers' receivers. That will be the 49ers' undoing unless they start doing something about it. Without a real scare threat down the field, teams can take away tight end
Vernon Davis
, which is what the Giants did Sunday. Somebody needs to scare -- and it isn't
Randy Moss
.

--- Big props to
Seattle Seahawks
quarterback Russell Wilson. That was a big-time throw to beat the
New England Patriots
. If he keeps that up -- and he gets a good test this week at
San Francisco 49ers
-- the Seahawks just might be a deep playoff team.

--- The
Atlanta Falcons
are 6-0 heading to their bye week, but why do I get the feeling they still haven't played their best football?
Matt Ryan
with three picks against the
Oakland Raiders
was a big shock.

--- The
Dallas Cowboys
botched the end of their game with the Ravens. They had time to get closer for an easier field goal. I put that on coach Jason Garrett. You have to understand the situation better.

Pete Prisco has covered the NFL for three decades, including working as a beat reporter in Jacksonville for the Jaguars. When he's not watching game tape, you can find Pete on Twitter or dreaming of an...
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